Eight minutes. That's all it took Friday for Judge Frank F. Fasel to sentence murderess Jennifer Deleon (now Jennifer Henderson) to life without parole for her role in the killing of Tom and Jackie Hawks. If by some kind of algebraic voodoo, you were able to quantify the enormity of the heinousness/publicity in this case against the duration of its final act, I'm confident you'd come up an equation as out of balance as any in the history of Orange County jurisprudence.

I was one of the first people through to the double doors of Fasel's courtroom when they opened Friday afternoon, and I immediately went for the seat farthest to the left and to front in the gallery. It would be the best possible angle to see the reaction on her face, if any, when Fasel pronounced sentence. Jennifer's mom and dad took seats on the far right side.

The Hawkses' family and friends took up much the middle section. Ryan Hawks, Tom and Jackie's son, sat next to his Uncle Jim, Tom's brother. I recognized many of the others from previous appearances, but do not remember all their names. The one person I didn't see was Dixie, Tom's first wife and Ryan's mother.

A beautiful, classy woman with fair skin, dark hair and high cheekbones she passed onto Ryan, Dixie had never remarried and had remained friendly with her ex, and she attended the trial most days. But her cancer returned after the trial and she died this summer. A few rows behind me was dear Betty Jarvi, elderly mother of one of Skylar Deleon's alleged victims in another murder. Ryan or Mrs. Jarvi - who is suffering more? God, what a thought to have.

Matt Murphy, the boyish prosecutor who jokes a lot except when he's talking about the callousness of the yacht murders - and then his lips get thin and he actually snarls - took his position at the counsel table. To his right was Det. Dave Byington. Dark skin, 1,000-watt smile, jet black hair combed straight back, nice suit. If he were in "Law &Order" they'd say he was too good-looking to be believable.

Just before 2 p.m., the heavily fortified side door that leads to the holding cell opened and Jennifer walked in in shackles, escorted by a bailiff.

She wore the soft-pink sweater blouse and black pants we've seen before. But she was noticeably thinner and her normally pale face was flush. Her brown hair has grown well past the middle of her back. Her eyes briefly found her parents; there was a look of recognition and then she quickly turned around and sat next to her attorney, Jeremy Goldman. On a court staffer's desk just a few feet in front of her was a vase of lovely cut flowers, tulips, I think. She's 26. I wondered: Could this be the last time she sees or smells fresh flowers?

At 2 exactly, Fasel took the bench. It went fast. One of Jackie's relatives read a four-paragraph statement on behalf of Jackie's parents, asking Fasel to deny Jennifer visitation rights with the two children she has with Skylar. (I don't think Fasel has that authority.)

Then Ryan spoke, but he, too was brief, saying that Jennifer "couldn't care less" about what he had to say anyway. He asked that Jennifer's parents give up the two kids for adoption because they "were used as decoys" in the murders. Which they were.

And that was it. Nothing from the defendant, her lawyer, her family or anyone else. Fasel quickly sentenced her to two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole. He noted that he had the option of making them concurrent, but made the finding they were two separate acts of murder so he would make them consecutive.

This is pretty much a technical distinction unless some really weird stuff were to happen during the appellate process and/or sentencing laws were one day changed by the Legislature. My belief is that when Fasel made them consecutive, he was going as far as he could in expressing his disgust at the crimes. As the judge in Skylar's trial in January, he can't made overt statements without being accused of bias.

Like that, it was over. It was 2:08.

I ran into Jennifer's first attorney, Michael Molfetta, in the courthouse Friday. He had no idea she was to be sentenced. Think of the insane level of frustration he must have knowing he had a deal on the table that would have resulted in potentially no prison if she would only have testified against her scumbag husband.

Why didn't she? My theory: Because Skylar is a master manipulator, because she's not too smart to begin with and because she had just enough larceny in her heart.

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